Today is International Cat Day 🤍

Today is a very special day - International Cat Day that takes place on 8 August of every year ❤️. This day is dedicated to raising awareness, helping, and protecting cats. Cats are cute, playful, self-centered beings who entertain us with their mischiefs and calm us down when they purr in our arms… 🥰

Even though they are considered to be one of the most popular pets, they often end up in shelters (especially mixed breeds) waiting for a new home. That is why I dedicate this article to all cats - big, wild, homeless, social, and especially to those who are still waiting in shelters for someone to open their heart and give them the life they deserve 😇.

I would like to share with you my story from thirteen years ago when I experienced a very special situation. It was on vacation in April 2008  when I saw four cute kittens, only a few days old, moaning helplessly in the yard of a house in Croatia and calling their mother, who was not seen anywhere around.

I didn’t hesitate even for a moment and started bottle-feeding them as they were barely alive. I cancelled my vacation and took them with me to Slovenia. Even today, I wonder where their mom got lost. Did something happen to her? Did she leave them because she had low milk supply??

I took the kittens to the vet for an examination. The smallest of them, named Lola, weighed only 80 grams. The worst situation was with the black kitten Bači, for whom I was surprised that he even survived the trip to Slovenia. I will never forget the vet’s words. He said that I can be really proud of myself if any of the kittens survive because they were in really bad condition.

Almost a month of trembling for their lives followed. I bottle-fed them every three hours, weighed them after each meal, and wrote down their weight. I will not forget that at that time the biggest and strongest among them, Ani, took care of the others as if she were their mother. It wasn’t easy for me. I could say it was very tiring, and yet I don’t regret a single second of fighting for their lives. All my efforts have been paid off because something happened that none of us expected. All the cats have survived and proved how fierce these wonderful beings are! 💛

Ani, Lola, Bači, and Taček all stayed at our house. Of course, first, I took care of their sterilization and castration. They were very different by character. The female cats were mostly at home while the tomcats were wandering around more. The consequence was that our gray tomcat Taček left us too soon (after one year) because he was run over by a car. I was shocked and inconsolable 💔. Because of this tragic event, I wanted to be more careful with our black cat Bači, since I was afraid that the same thing would happen to him. However, I soon found out how unhappy he was locked up at home, he didn't get along well with his sisters, he wanted freedom and walks in the neighborhood, he even had "his second home" at close neighbors because he fell in love with their daughter and they were best friends. However, he returned home every day, ate and fell asleep in my lap 🤎 . We lost him after eleven years. That day we were looking for him and after two days I found him in the bushes near our home. There was no more help for him, it was too late… 🖤

Now thirteen-year-old Ani and Lola are still with us. Ani is a very confident cat, while Lola is the most spoiled cat I know 💞. Two cats and three puppies make every day better!

I am going to end this blog with the following words:

🤍 ADOPT and SAVE these beautiful animals!!! 🤍

As an adopter, you will feel like a better person because you will know that you did something good for someone’s life. What’s more, your adopted pet will show you devotion, love, and gratitude on a daily basis. Anyone who has ever adopted a pet knows that there is no more grateful pet than an adopted pet.

Pamper your four-legged friends, today even more than usual ❣️

Barbara 💜